Encountering the text: The first thing we notice in Mark’s account of the temptation of Jesus is not only how very, very brief this account appears but how it has little in… read more

  Ryan Ahlgrim, pastor of First Mennonite Church, Richmond, Virginia, begins by listing several temptations he faces ... eating potato chips while watching TV, ordering a… read more

Matthew 4:1-11 Most of the time, without any real thought, we do what we want to do and make inferior choices. We trivialize sin when we think of it as an error in judgment. Sin… read more

2 Samuel 11:1-15 The biblical writers were suspect with regard to public relations. They revealed most dirty secrets, foibles, and skeletons concerning major Bible characters. We … read more

Encountering Matthew Even as Israel struggled in the wilderness, struggling against the sins of idolatry, rebellion, and anger against God, so Jesus struggles in the wilderness… read more

Encountering Matthew In today’s Gospel we see the temptation of Jesus. Note that Matthew simply reports what happens in the exchange between Jesus and Satan in the… read more